Breast-milk and Infant Nutrition in Nigeria

Abstract

ON 21st May 1981, the governments of the mothers in Nigeria—whether elite, rural or world, through their representatives at the urban, still start their newborns on breast-milk. World Health Assembly in Geneva, approved The incidence of breast-feeding at birth is still an International Code of Marketing of Breast- about 99%. This is in spite of the practice of milk Substitute . The code was meant to control separating mother and infant immediately after the excesses which had been noted in the birth in most hospitals, as well as the indiscri aggressive advertisements and advertising minate use of "bottle-feeding" for newborn methods of the multinational Baby Food Manu- babies by the staff of the midwifery departments. facturing Organizations over the previous years. The loss' that has occurred in breast-feeding The approval of this code as well as the world in the country is however, in the length or wide controversy that led to it, generated a continuance of the act. In the elite and working great resurgence of interest in breast-milk and mothers who have to go back to work by the breast-feeding. Between 1975 and thu present, third month of parturition, bieast-feeding is the Department of Human Nutrition, University stopped by the first month and replaced by of Ibadan, in collaboration with the World breast-milk substitutes. This practice allows the Health Organization, UNICEF and other mother to return to work, having established organizations, have been looking at treast- her baby on artificial feeding. The provision feeding and breast-milk in Nigeria. This paper in the Government General Orders that allows discusses some of the results of our studies and mothers, one hour off for treast-feeding does highlights some of the prevailing and anticipated not in practice, encourage breast-feeding, problems. From these studies, we hope that it because in towns such as Lagos and Ibadan, may be possible to develop a workable package working mothers have to travel long distances that will ensure that more and better use is made to get to work and most of them cannot get of breast-feeding and breast-milk